A portion of the 2nd reading for today is slated for Resurrection Sunday. It is a reminder of the work Christ had done in our lives by the Paschal Mystery, which now focuses us on Heaven above.
Therefore, our aim in life becomes building up treasure in Heaven.
We need this focus because life without God becomes vanity, with our all efforts coming to naught once we leave this life.
That's why it is important for us to be rich in our relationship with God, and use this life to build up those riches, embracing our Heavenward calling.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Sunday, July 28, 2019
July 28, 2019: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
God has always sought to be in close relationship with us, and He desires that we draw close to Him, persisting in growing in relationship with Him.
Abraham dares to persist in bargaining with God to spare Sodom for the sake of the innocent therein. Jesus teaches His disciples His prayer and then instructs them that prayer is a means to petition God, Who grants us the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit Himself.
Now, as people redeemed by the Paschal Mystery, we can dare draw near to God in prayer, confident that He will grant us His very living, real Presence, so that we live abundantly.
Abraham dares to persist in bargaining with God to spare Sodom for the sake of the innocent therein. Jesus teaches His disciples His prayer and then instructs them that prayer is a means to petition God, Who grants us the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit Himself.
Now, as people redeemed by the Paschal Mystery, we can dare draw near to God in prayer, confident that He will grant us His very living, real Presence, so that we live abundantly.
Monday, July 22, 2019
July 21, 2019: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When God enters our lives, it is an invitation to draw toward Him and embrace an opportunity to be in relationship with Him.
Having a relationship with God, and investing in it, helps keep us focused on what matters, which sustains us in the busyness of life. Martha certainly was noble in her efforts to wait on Jesus, and when she got exasperated when Mary didn't help her, Jesus responded by inviting her to focus on "the better part" of many things.
When three visitors came to Abraham's lodgings, he recognized something glorious about them, and focused his efforts on welcoming them. In such gathering, he encountered the blessed news that a child would soon be born to him and Sarah.
A relationship with God truly transforms us, as the living real presence of Christ dwelling in us draws us toward Eternal Life, which is our "hope for glory", as St. Paul writes.
So day by day, we live in hope, as we open ourselves to God's presence in us.
Having a relationship with God, and investing in it, helps keep us focused on what matters, which sustains us in the busyness of life. Martha certainly was noble in her efforts to wait on Jesus, and when she got exasperated when Mary didn't help her, Jesus responded by inviting her to focus on "the better part" of many things.
When three visitors came to Abraham's lodgings, he recognized something glorious about them, and focused his efforts on welcoming them. In such gathering, he encountered the blessed news that a child would soon be born to him and Sarah.
A relationship with God truly transforms us, as the living real presence of Christ dwelling in us draws us toward Eternal Life, which is our "hope for glory", as St. Paul writes.
So day by day, we live in hope, as we open ourselves to God's presence in us.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
July 14, 2019: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
God has brought a word of command so very close to us. It is a command to love God with all we are, and to love our neighbors, too, as an expression of God's Love.
It is a command that becomes real to us because God came in Jesus Christ to show us the way of Love, and break down the barriers that would prevent us from experiencing God's love and extending it to others in action.
It is a command that becomes real to us because God came in Jesus Christ to show us the way of Love, and break down the barriers that would prevent us from experiencing God's love and extending it to others in action.
Monday, July 8, 2019
July 7, 2019: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
God calls us to be His disciples, having set us apart by the Paschal Mystery, freeing us from sin and bringing us into a new way of life. He grants us a mission to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand, present right with us now, and to help others see that it is present.
It is the proclamation that sustains us as we face difficulties, which St. Paul alludes to when he talks about "the marks of Jesus" on his body in the reading from Galatians. While the realities of the world indicate that we will experience hardship as we seek to fulfill God's mission to us, we can rest in the assurance that God is leading us to Himself.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus sends out a group of 72, and in His instructions for them, He focuses their attention away from certain material goods that might accompany them, getting them to focus on their proclamation.
It is the proclamation that sustains us as we face difficulties, which St. Paul alludes to when he talks about "the marks of Jesus" on his body in the reading from Galatians. While the realities of the world indicate that we will experience hardship as we seek to fulfill God's mission to us, we can rest in the assurance that God is leading us to Himself.
Indeed, regardless of how others respond, living out this mission helps us realize that we are on our way to Heaven, where we will experience His abundant Life, even as we experience it now.
So when the 72 return, rejoicing that the demons were subject to them, Jesus tells them, and even us, not to rejoice simply in how the demons respond to them, but that their, and our, "names are written in Heaven".
We truly rejoice in what God has done for us, and that He continues to accompany us so that what we do leads us to Himself, and we are truly bound for glory.
So when the 72 return, rejoicing that the demons were subject to them, Jesus tells them, and even us, not to rejoice simply in how the demons respond to them, but that their, and our, "names are written in Heaven".
Sunday, June 30, 2019
June 30, 2019: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
At a time when we celebrate freedom in the United States, the readings for this Sunday help us understand what freedom means in the context of faith. Christ, by the Paschal Mystery, has set us free from sin. This freedom now grants us new purpose in life, as He calls us to serve Him, a call to wholehearted devotion that consumes us.
He has placed His presence upon us and within us, like when Elijah placed his mantle on Elisha, and calls us to serve Him with wholehearted devotion, as evidenced by what Jesus says to would-be followers, following after Him all our days, all the while making His presence to others.
No matter what we face, we have assurance in Him as we make Him the center of our lives, He Who has rescued us from death and brought us alive in abundant Life that we live when we follow obediently in answering the call day by day.
He has placed His presence upon us and within us, like when Elijah placed his mantle on Elisha, and calls us to serve Him with wholehearted devotion, as evidenced by what Jesus says to would-be followers, following after Him all our days, all the while making His presence to others.
No matter what we face, we have assurance in Him as we make Him the center of our lives, He Who has rescued us from death and brought us alive in abundant Life that we live when we follow obediently in answering the call day by day.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
June 29, 2019: Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
We have much to celebrate in these two saints today.
God chose them to fulfill special roles in building on the foundation of the Church He lay.
They give us a great example of living faith boldly, rooting ourselves in a strong foundation in Christ that can strengthen us in troubles and allow us to bring Life to the world as Christ radically brings us alive, as He did Saints Peter and Paul.
God chose them to fulfill special roles in building on the foundation of the Church He lay.
They give us a great example of living faith boldly, rooting ourselves in a strong foundation in Christ that can strengthen us in troubles and allow us to bring Life to the world as Christ radically brings us alive, as He did Saints Peter and Paul.
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